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YILF

Originally uploaded by gnatalia

Palin on Oct. 22, 2008: “God will do the right thing on election day.”

I know this is smug. Forgive me. I just hate this tautology. If God is, as they say, incapable of doing “wrong” then He has no choice but to do the right thing on election day.

YES

WE

DID

(He had to do this because someone stole his Obama sign. More sore losers from the McCain camp. Emphasis on losers.)

When I walked outside this morning to get the paper, I thought I had been the victim of a Halloween prank. I was grateful that you hadn’t smashed my pumpkin, and hadn’t filled my oak trees with long ribbons of toilet paper. But then I noticed that the other sign in my yard, the one endorsing Joshua Segall for Congress, was still standing. That’s odd, I thought. Why only take one? I took a glance around at my neighbors’ yards and that’s when it hit me—you stole all of the Obama-Biden signs on my street. Every last one of them.

Surely you’ll understand why I was furious. I don’t mind when people disagree with my political views, but it bothers me when I am opposed anonymously. Who are you? Are you just an avid McCain supporter, full of sour grapes as you watch the election slip away? Or are you an activist racist bigot I need to be worried about? After all, trespassing and theft don’t seem to bother you. Was this some sort of silent warning or threat to silence me and my family? Should I expect to find a burning cross in my yard next week?

This is another reason why I was angry. Not only did you act like a coward by stealing my sign at night, but you have done absolutely nothing to change how I’m going to vote. If you think that removing political signs will intimidate me or anyone else into voting for McCain, or Nader for that matter, you are sorely mistaken. If you are sincere about changing my political views and those held by my neighbors, I suggest you come talk to us. We’re friendly, open-minded folks. My wife and I have thought long and hard about our decision this election year, and we’re always open to sensible arguments and different points of view.

But perhaps that’s what drove you to such a cowardly act. You likely realized, like many people have, that McCain is a hard sell these days. You probably understand why so many people are abandoning the GOP after eight years of obviously flawed economic and foreign policies. Begrudgingly, you might admit that many of Obama’s policies are not socialist or radical but are in fact sound, and have been endorsed by scores of reputable political names.

If pressed, you might even agree with Senator Obama that the U.S. should begin a gradual withdrawal from Iraq and focus on the increasing presence of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Surely you would agree with Barack that the key to energy independence in America is through a dedicated switch to sustainable energy resources, rather than gambling on increased domestic oil production.

Yes, it is true that Democrats have traditionally advocated higher taxes, and I hate paying them as much as you do, believe me. But have you looked at Obama’s tax plan? Don’t you realize that under his plan, no individual making under $250,000 a year will see a tax increase? Moreover, according to independent analyses conducted by the Tax Policy Center and reported by the New York Times, Obama’s plan would generally cut more taxes for households making under $100,000 a year than McCain’s plan would.

Is it any wonder then, that Obama’s tax plans make sense for millions of Americans? Do you realize that, according to U.S. census data, fewer than 3 percent of households in the U.S. make more than $250,000 a year?

But perhaps you’re a small business owner, concerned about higher taxes. News reports show that most small businesses taxed at the individual rate (i.e. partnerships and Schedule C corporations) make less than $250,000 a year, so Obama’s plan doesn’t necessarily penalize small businesses or discourage entrepreneurship any more than McCain’s plan does. The real concern for small business owners is the availability of loans at favorable interest rates. Hasn’t Obama long favored more regulation of the lenders and credit markets which are responsible (in part) for the recession we’re in right now?

Yes, you probably realize these things. You are probably aware that a recent poll reported on Bloomberg.com showed that a majority of respondents say Obama would do a better job handling the financial crisis and strengthening the economy than John McCain would, by a margin of 45 percent to 33 percent. Perhaps that’s why you stole my sign. You were desperate to stem the tide of voters who on Tuesday will most likely choose Obama over McCain, thereby creating history and ushering in the next political era. Despite your pessimism, I am confident that it will be a bright one.

One final note. Although I was angry this morning as I stood in my yard, fuming in my robe and slippers, I have since relaxed. You know why? Because I and everyone on my street got those sign by contributing to Obama’s campaign. And now that you’ve swiped our signs, we’ll all have to order new ones, meaning we’ve doubled the contributions we’d planned on making to Barack.

Therefore, most likely on behalf of Obama’s entire campaign staff, I’d like to thank you.